Stovetop Pear Crumble

Let's just get this out in the open...I don't like to bake. I will do it (with a box mix) or for a special occassion (husband's birthday, etc.) but never for fun. I find that a lot of food blogs focus on dessert items, probably because they are so delicate and beautiful. While that is all fine and good, I never actually use any of those recipes. I like the stove top. Give me some pans and spatulas, some things to fry, and I'm a happy girl.

This dislike of baking has a down side...I like to EAT those baked goods! And they don't just appear on the counter all by themselves. Anyway, long story short, I had seen this recipe a long time ago. I guess it was rolling around in the back of my brain while I was in the grocery store, because I saw pears and thought "Oh, I'll make a dessert with those! Maybe something with oats!". So, I can't take complete credit for this, but it was a pretty successful first attempt at something new.

Stovetop Pear Crumble
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c quick oats
2 ripe pears, sliced into 4-5 pieces each (peeled or not peeled, it's up to you)
A pinch of nutmeg
Vanilla ice cream (optional...but come on, you know you want to)

Heat a large pan on medium heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Next, add the brown sugar and incorporate with the butter. Allow this to remain on medium heat until it becomes a type of thick syrup (if it looks a little dry, add a bit more butter), about 2 minutes. When the mixture is gently bubbling, add the pear slices. Allow the pear slices to heat up for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring every so often to coat the pear slices in the sauce. Sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg over the pears.

Add the oats, a bit at a time. You want the oats to soak up all the sauce, and to be fully coated in it. Stop adding oats when the sauce is absorbed, and the oats are clumping together (it ends up having a praline-like taste).

Remove from the heat, and serve immediately over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tabula Rasa

So...angelfood cake. Who doesn't love it? Light, fluffy, sweet, but not overwhelming. Addictive. But really more of a blank slate than anything else. I'd gladly sit down and eat a piece of angelfood cake, but it has to be with something. It isn't like red velvet cake (be still my heart) where it is completely satisfying on its own.

Yes, we can go the whipped cream route. That's pretty traditional for my family. And to be honest, I love whipped cream. My parents would be quick to point out that when I was in high school, I'd come home late on the weekends and sit down in front of the TV with a tub of cool whip, mix in some chocolate chips, and watch some late night rubbish. But alas, my taste buds crave more. Not that I'm past eating out of the tub. I guess I just want other options.

My husband and I invited my sister and her boyfriend over for dinner a few weeks ago, and for dessert we picked angelfood cake. It's her favorite, and I wanted to make it special. The solution?



Ok, so it doesn't have a name. How about "delicious topping for the tabula rasa"? Sounds scrumptious yet philosophical. Here's how it's made.

Allow a container of marscapone cheese to sit out for a few minutes to soften and get to room temperature. Add 1 part marscapone cheese and 1 part fruit preserves. Mix together with a blender. This allows the mixture to be incorporated evenly, as well as adding some fluff to the mixture. Lastly, add 1 part whipped cream and fold together (play with the ratios as desired).

I used seedless raspberry jam for this particular topping because my sister has dietary restrictions that don't allow her to eat seeds. Plus, raspberry is delicious.

It has a fabulously creamy and light texture, along with a tangy sweetness that pairs wonderfully with angelfood cake. Mix some up and slather it on your blank slate.

p.s. like the quennelle?

Taste Memories

There is nothing I would rather write about more for my first food post than this: my Grandma Jo's monster cookies. Yeah, yeah, all grandmas rock at making cookies. It's true. But for some reason, when I make these cookies I am 5 years old all over again. I can clearly picture my grandma in her green capris and her long apron, working behind the counter and laying the fresh cookies out on wax paper. I can remember running into the kitchen with my cousins, ready to sample the fresh batch. The first bite was always the best...the wonderful warm combination of oats and crunchy peanut butter.

When I make them at home, I have to resist the urge to gobble them all up. The most recent time that I made them, my patience ran so thin that I burned my mouth on some hot melted chocolate. But boy was it worth it.

Are monster cookies a regional thing? For some reason I think they might be. Here in the midwest they are alive and well. It's a good thing. They should be alive and well in your kitchen too.

Without further ado, here is THE monster cookie recipe. My grandma's.

Grandma Jo's Monster Cookies

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1/2 lb. chunky peanut butter

1 c brown sugar

2 tsp caro syrup

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 1/2 c quick-cooking oatmeal

1/2 c chocolate chips

1/2 c chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)

1/4 lb. plain M&M candies

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Mix the top section of ingredients together. If you melted the butter, make sure it isn't too hot or it might cook the eggs. When all of these ingredients are incorporated, add the second portion of ingredients. Mix well and form cookies on a greased sheet (or parchment paper). Press down slightly if using an ice cream scoop (which will give you the perfect size cookie...these are MONSTER cookies after all, they should be large). Bake for 10-15 minutes. Makes about 18 cookies.

Tip: I find that 12 minutes is just perfect in my oven. They do come out very soft, so let them rest on the pan before you move them to a cooling rack. As the peanut butter cools off, they will stay together much easier.